History

Founded in 1979, Skytraders is an Australian based, privately owned airline with extensive operating experience in the global aviation industry. Skytraders is a highly specialist company, with a proud history founded on the ongoing search for prescriptive solutions to specialist aviation problems.

Thirty-one years ago, when the principals of Skytraders founded the company their focus was on the intercontinental airfreight market. The company boasts extensive commercial air transport experience, concentrated historically on the transportation of heavy freight throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Early flights were performed with the Swing-tail CL44, Boeing 707F and the proven DC855F and 63F aircraft. Air charter regimes were restrictive and split charters were not permitted in Australia. Skytraders active lobbying persuaded successive governments to adopt a policy of ongoing deregulation of the international air charter industry.

One of the company's first long-term programmes commenced in late 1978 when Skytraders contracted for the weekly movement of 40 tonne DC8 loads of chilled lamb and produce to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. With the introduction of 747 freighters Skytraders pioneered the movement of live cattle from Australia and also developed special containers for the transport of fresh carcass beef, without the need for refrigeration, direct from abattoirs to end users in Japan. By 1990, Skytraders had become Australia's largest shipper of export airfreight, with the company’s achievements being recognised by the Australian Federal Government with the award of the Austrade Gold Medal.

In 1993 in conjunction with Qantas and DHL, Skytraders commenced a nightly express service between Sydney and Auckland utilising a Boeing 727-100 freighter. The programme addressed the need to move large numbers of racehorses at the same time as meeting the international express operators requirement to have a specialist aircraft scheduled to enable close of business pick up and next morning delivery on each side of the Tasman.

In 2000, Skytraders responded to an Australian Commonwealth Government ‘Call for Registration of Interest’ for the design and construction of an Air Transport System for Antarctica. In 2002, Skytraders was awarded a long term contract by the Australian Antarctic Division for the provision of a range of Antarctic air services. This was pursuant to the company having tendered a radical, non-compliant proposal based on operating systems demonstrated to result in operationally superior, safer outcomes for Antarctic science.

Over the past decade the company has directed its principal focus to the task of re-defining World’s Best Practice in Cold Climate Aviation Technology. Operating in support of the Australian Commonwealth Government’s science program, Skytraders has now established itself as arguably the world leader in this highly specialist field.

*Photo taken by Jochen Beeck